Combing machine for long textile fibers



' Filed June a, 1965 March 19, 1968 J. F. HERUBEL 3,373,462

COMBING MACHINE FOR LONG TEXTILE FIBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 19, 1968 J. F. HERUBEL 3,373,462 COMBING MACHINE FOR LONG TEXTILE FIBERS Filed June 5. 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,373,462 COMBING MACHINE FOR LONG TEXTILE FIBERS Jean Frederic Heruhel, Guebwiller, France, assignor to N. Schlurnberger & Cie, Guebwiller, France, a French socit a responsabilit limite Filed June 3, 1965', Ser. No. 460,903 Claims priority, application France, June 5, 1964, 977,200 2 Claims. (Cl. 19-230) ABTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combing machine for long textile fibers having a control means for controlling the trailing end of a previously combed web to facilitate transfer of a newly combed Web from nippers of the machine to a detaching mechanism, the control device including a suction funnel having a mouth which opens upwardly and disposed between a circular comb of the machine and detaching rollers of the detaching mechanism. The portion of the mouth adjacent the circular comb is located at a level higher than the rest of the mouth which extends in the direction of reciprocation of the detaching mechanism over a distance substantially equal to the amplitude of the reciprocation.

This invention relates to straight combers used inter alia for W001, flax tow and cut chemical fibres.

In straight combers, a part of the fibre web to be combed is usually presented, by nippers, to needle rows provided on segments of a circular comb, in order that the needles may remove any short fibres not gripped by the nippers, together with any impurities and vegetable particles, from such part of the web. After this phase of combing, a detaching carriage or slide, on which detaching rollers and an endless leather apron running therebetween are mounted, moves towards the nippers to detach the combed part of the web and place it on top of a previously combed part of the web which is already on the apron. This operation is called la-p joining.

When the carriage or slide has reached its closest position to the nippers, the combed web part is engaged and detached from the rest of the web by the detaching rollers and placed on the combed web parts already on the apron. Various suggestions have been made to ensure that the combed web part is transferred satisfactorily from the circular comb to the detaching rollers. In one known construction, a first moving element known as a controsabre, or counter-fibre holder, acts during the approach movement of the carriage to apply the fibres to the apron to ensure satisfactory lap joining. The carriage then starts its return movement which is accompanied by the movement of a second moving element, called a fibre holder," which serves to flatten the trailing ends of the fibres by applying them to the apron; the purpose of this step is to ensure that the circular comb does not reengage with the previously-combed fibres during the next combing cycle and that the web part is correctly offered for lap joining. The counter-fibre holder provides a bearing surface for the trailing ends of the fibres during descent of the fibre holder and forms a barrier between the same and the circular comb. To prepare for the next lap joining, an adequate length of web is offered for lap joining at the time of the detaching operation. To this end, the direction of rotation of the detaching roller is reversed after the detaching step.

This conventional construction has many advantages. Clearly, in the light of the continually increasing speed at which modern machinery operates, synchronous reciprocation of the fibre holder and counter-fibre holder is becoming increasingly diflicult to achieve, particularly since the reciprocation must be accurately controlled. There are many lubrication places which require frequent inspection. The fibre holder, if it is to operate satisfactorily, must engage over its whole length with the apron. Since the detaching roller engaged by the apron is curved, the fibre holder must have a corresponding curved surface, and accurate adjustment is very difiicult because of this curvature. Over-tight adjustment prematurely shortens the Working life of the apron, while over-loose adjustment leads to unsatisfactory lap joining and to an irregular web. Another difficulty is that during the detaching operation the rate of disengagement of the fibre holder is not constant and does not correspond in practice to the peripheral speed of the detaching rollers. The speed difference causes detrimental heating of the apron. Another disadvantage of this speed difference is that the web does not always develop normally between, on the one hand, the nip of the detaching rollers and, on the hand, the nip formed by the apron and the fibre holder.

A suggestion for cotton combers is to transfer the web by means of a suction duct whose aperture is near the periphery of the comb between the latter and the detaching rollers. This arrangement, too, is not completely satisfactory, since the suction duct, which opens towards the circular comb, causes disturbing turbulence therearound. Also, since the suction duct aperture is very near the circular comb, the air flow entrains some of the fibres retained on the needles and thus arbitrarily removes such fibres from the coil.

Another suggestion is to use a suction air flow produced by perforate plates to control the web in a cotton comber. A disadvantage of this suggestion is that, if the perforations are small, they soon become clogged, whereas large perforations cause looping due to fibres straddling two adjacent perforations. The resulting loops tend to join and form a layer or sheet or the like which completely clogs the perforations.

It is an object of this invention so to provide an improved suction transfer arrangement wherein the disadvantages of the corresponding known systems are obviated.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a straight comber or like machine having a device for controlling the trailing end of a previously combed web part to facilitate transfer of a newly-combed web part from nippers of the machine to a detaching arrangement thereof, said device comprising a suction funnel or flared part disposed between a circular comb of the machine and detaching rollers of the detaching arrangement, characterized by the provision of means for masking the air flow to the funnel or flared part to prevent the suction exerted thereby from acting on the fibres of the web on the circular comb.

Preferably, that edge of the aperture of the suction funnel or flared part which is adjacent the circular comb is raised relative to the rest of the funnel or flared part.

The invention will be described further, by Way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation view partly in section showing a straight comber constructed in accordance with the present invention, the detaching slide or carriage being shown in its withdrawn position; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but with the detaching carriage shown in its advanced position.

The illustrated comber comprises a feed lattice 1 which supplies material 3 for combing, in the form of a lap or web 2, to lap-retaining nippers 4, and is provided with a feeding comb 5. The web 2 is held by the nippers 4 in such a manner that the leading end thereof is presented to needle rows 6 provided on segments of a circular comb 7. A detaching carriage or slide adapted to move, in the direction indicated by a double arrow F, towards and away from the feed lattice 1 comprises detaching cylinders or rollers 8, 9 between which runs an endless leather apron 10. At its end remote from the rollers 8, 9, the apron 10 is guided by a cylinder 11. The apron 10 is shown as supporting a fibre web part 12 which has previously been combed. A moving comb 13 is adapted for reciprocation between the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the comb 13 enters into and withdraws from the space between the nippers 4 and the cylinders or rollers 8, 9.

The apparatus of the invention further comprises a suction duct 14 which terminates in a flared part or funnel 15 which extends axially of the rollers 8, 9 over a distance at least equal to the length thereof and, in the direction of movement of the said slide or carriage, over a distance equal to and possibly greater than the operative movement thereof in the directions of the arrow F. As can also be seen clearly in the drawings, that edge of the aperture of the flared part or funnel 15 which is near the comb 7 is raised to prevent sucked-in air flowing into the flared part 15 from acting on any fibres on the comb 7.

The apparatus just described operates as follows:

FIG. 1 shows the disposition of the parts during combing of the leading end of the fibrous web. In this phase, the nippers 4 are closed and present the web 3 to the needle rows 6 of the circular comb 7, whereas the feeding comb and the moving comb 13 are in their raised positions. The detaching slide or carriage is in its withdrawn position, so that the detaching rollers 8, 9 thereof are at their maximum distance away from the feed lattice 1 and circular comb 7.

Suction is applied to the flared part or funnel 15 by way of the duct 14 and because of this the trailing end 16 of the previously-combed fibre web part 12 already disposed on the apron is constrained to conform to the shape of the bottom detaching roller 9 intimately and remains in engagement with the apron 10 to prevent any possibility of it coming into engagement with the circular comb 7. After the leading end of the web has been combed, the carriage starts to move towards the feed lattice 1 and moves across the mouth of the flared part of funnel so as gradually to mask the aperture thereof. However, the width of the flared part or funnel 15 in the direction of movement of the carriage is such that the trailing end 16 remains under the control of the suction in the funnel 15 even when the carriage has reached its endmost position adjacent to the feed lattice 1, which position is shown in FIG. 2.

As this occurs, the feed lattice 1 is raised slightly so that the combed leading end of the web 3 is separated from the circular comb 7 and is engaged by that portion of the previously-combed web part 12 which extends around the roller 9, the combs 5 and 13 are lowered, and the nippers 4 are opened, so that the condition illustrated in FIG. 2 is achieved.

The apron 10 is now driven, by way of one of the rollers 3, 9 or 11, so that the previously combed web part disposed on the upper run of the apron 10 is moved to the left as viewed in the drawings. This causes the combed leading end part of the web 3 to become entrained with the trailing end 16 of the previously-combed web part 12, to form a lap joint with the latter, so that such combed leading end part of the web 3 passes through the nip between the rollers 8, 9 and moves onto the conveyor 10, at the same time being detached from the rest of the web 3 whilst leaving a fresh leading end portion of such web 3 drawn through the comb 5 for the next subsequent combining operation.

After the detaching rollers 8, 9 have performed the detaching step, the carriage moves away from the lattice feed 1 and returns to the FIG. 1 position. The rollers 8, 9 are then rotated in the opposite direction to feed l the required trailing end of web 16 for the next subsequent lap-joining step between the rollers 8, 9. The flared part 15 keeps such trailing end away from the circular comb 7. It is found in practice that control of the web is greatly improved by the arrangement of the invention as compared with the prior known mechanical devices. Since the sucked trailing end of the combed web is, because of the fundamental operating principle of straight combers, composed more particularly of long fibres, there is no risk of short fibres being entrained by the air flow.

The invention provides many advantages over the known systems. Working can be speeded up and wear, for instance, on the apron 10, is substantially reduced. The elements previously necessary for controlling a conventional fibre holder and a counter-fibre holder, which are diflicult to adjust and maintain and which require frequent lubrication, are obviated. The web experiences only suction and therefore does not tend to curl in front of the detaching rollers and is better adapted for the lap-joining than hitherto, and the suction air flow cannot influence the fibres on the circular comb.

The embodiment hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings is of course given only by way of nonlimitative example, and the shape, nature, arrangement and assembly of the elements of the embodiment can of course be modified in any appropriate fashion without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For instance, the position of the flared part or funnel 15 can be varied during the working cycle to ensure optimum control of the web. Accordingly, the movement of the flared part or funnel 15 can be controlled either from the movement of the detaching slide or carriage or by any other appropriate system. Alternatively, the rate of air flow can be varied in dependence upon the relative position of the rollers 8, 9 and the flared part or funnel 15, for instance, by means of a cover flap or the like.

The invention is not, of course, limited to straight combers but can be applied to any machine where a similar problem arises.

I claim:

1. A combing machine for long textile fiber comprising a circular comb, feed means for supplying the leading end of a fiber web to said circular comb, nippers on said feed means for retaining said web while said leading end is received by said circular comb, a reciprocating detaching mechanism for taking up and detaching said leading end after combining thereof to form a detached part of said web and for causing said detached part to form a lap join with the trailing end of a previously combed detached part carried by said detaching mechanism, said detaching mechanism comprising an apron, front and back guide rollers supporting the apron and confronting said feed means, roller means cooperating with the front guide roller to provide a nip through which said trailing end of said previously combed detached part protrudes, and control means for controlling said trailing end to prevent the same from engaging said circular comb, said control means comprising a suction funnel disposed proximate said circular comb under the path of travel of said rollers during reciprocation of the detaching mechanism, said funnel having a mouth which opens upwardly, the portion of said mouth adjacent said circular comb being located at a level higher than the rest of said month, said mouth extending in the direction of reciprocation of said detaching mechanism over a distance substantially equal to the amplitude of said reciprocation, said guide rollers having end of stroke positions during the reciprocation, the front roller and the portion of the apron carried by said front roller in the end of stroke position remote from the circular comb being located above one end of the mouth of the funnel at the portion thereof remote from the comb, whereas in the other end of the stroke position, the apron extends over the entire extent of the funnel mouth.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mouth 1,221,025 of the funnel is inclined downwardly in a direction away 1,713,959 from the comb and it forms an angle with the lower 2,558,706

branch of the apron which Widens in said direction.

References Cited 20,791 UNITED STATES PATENTS 13,973

1,058,160 4/1913 Delette 19219 6 4/1917 Campbell 19225 5/1929 Gegauff 19-230 XR 6/1951 Hinson 19232 XR FOREIGN PATENTS of 1896 Great Britain. 4/ 1897 Switzerland.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner. 

